LM Week 6: Transformative Learning

 

Week 6: Transformative Learning

 

Project Title: The Volunteer Bundle

Learning Goals:

-       Students will become familiar with their community by volunteering at three different places.

-       Students will observe and learn diverse perspectives.

-       Students will build awareness of those within their community, challenging their own assumptions and previous knowledge.

-       Students will reflect on their time in a final journal.

 

Rationales: 

For this project, I decided to focus primarily on Daloz’s psychodevelopmental perspective of storytelling within education. Rather than the teacher and student relationship, I wanted to build a program in which participants create connections with members of their communities. These relationships also provide the opportunity to transform traditional learning, going outside the classroom space to engage with those whose backgrounds may be unlike their own. Regarding Daloz’s belief on students, Merriam & Baumgartner (2020) explain how “individuals are often in a developmental transition when they seek higher education” (p. 172). Despite adult learners entering a program with past experiences, there is also a likelihood they have not, or are unable to, be involved in their communities. As an instructor, I would not assume volunteer work is an easy task due to adult life commitments. This program would allow for the volunteer work to serve as the mentor, with those they meet as the “story-tellers”, and it is through this relationship of “mutual storying of lives that development can occur” (p. 173). Participants will have the opportunity to confront personal norms, assumptions, and experiences to broaden their perspective of the world and their community. The final journal is a platform for participants to reflect on their time and comprehend how strangers’ stories are a meaningful method of learning.

Design: 

The Volunteer Bundle program will take place in Bloomington, IN. The city holds a wealth of opportunities for volunteering and has a population that is diverse in socio economic status, ethnicity, and age.

The three volunteer opportunities are as follows:

1)    Community Kitchen of Monroe County

The community kitchen comprises of buildings and food trucks, serving those in need. The unhoused population of Bloomington is one of the largest sectors requiring assistance of community members.

Website: https://www.monroecommunitykitchen.com/

2)    Boys and Girls Club

With multiple locations, the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington is accessible for adult volunteers. The age of members ranges from kindergarten to secondary grade levels.

Website: https://bgcbloomington.org/who-we-are/

3)    IU Health- Flower delivery

 

IU Health Bloomington Hospital offers multiple areas for participants to volunteer, specifically flower delivery. Patients may be in critical care, in a specific unit (such as maternity) or in hospice. Volunteers bring flowers and other gifts to rooms, while conversing with patients, helping to comfort them.

Website: https://iuhealth.org/about-our-system/volunteering/volunteer-at-iu-health-bloomington

 

Example of program for individual participant:

References: 

Merriam, S.B., & Baumgartner, L. (2020). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.